A review by boezaaah
Joyland by Stephen King

5.0

Stephen King... you got me. I'm not sure why, but this has always been the King book that has most interested me. I didn't even know what it was about, but I had a feeling it would be a favourite. And I'm so glad I was right. This was everything I could have wanted in a novel. Of King's work, I've only read Carrie and In the Tall Grass, but I knew I loved King's storytelling. And this was no different. The writing felt so effortless and genuine, and I loved the progression of the story, as well as how it was told. The vibes were immaculate.

Stephen King does this really cool thing in this book where he makes mentions to tons of musicians and bands which were at the height of their careers during the time in which this story was set (early 70s), and it heightened the reading the experience SO MUCH for me. The late 60s and 70s are my favourite era for music, so I curated a playlist on Spotify around the story and it was incredible. I think it's safe to say King is a fan of The Doors (my favourite band!)...

I would also really recommend listening to the audiobook for this one! I found the audiobook on YouTube, and found the narrator to be a perfect fit for the story. He really brought our main character Devin Jones to life! He is one of my favourite protagonists of all time, and I really adored the side characters too! They're all definitely going to be comfort characters for me in the future.

If you're wanting to get into King, I think this would be a good place to start. It's easy to read, less than 300 pages and loads of fun! Thank you for writing this one King, thank you.